Sword Art Online thingy that I don't really know what to call anymore
by XyloFidi
Summary: Ryuichi Akamatsu is a man shrouded in shadow. His parents were robbed and killed when he was young and was given fatal injuries that left him with many scars. He uses video games to escape from the reality. The only problem being, that he chose the wrong video game. Ayyyy, thankz fo reading this thingy... I guess? I dun' own Sword Art Online.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

 _October 31_ _st_ _, 2022_

 _Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan_

"Thank you for your purchase…" The usually cheery and energetic cashier says as I exit the door. I raised the game case in my hand to take a look at it. ' _Sword Art Online'_ it reads in large, light blue characters. Finally got my hands on it after waiting two hours. Man, you have no idea how long that line was. I notice in the glare that my reflection is showing on the glossy plastic. Eyepatch on my right eye and a scar running down my left serve as a constant reminder. This is exactly why I use video games to escape… Escape the cruel reality. The reality that is real life.

I hop on my scooter, start the engine, I place the helmet on my head, and I pull my right hand back and the vehicle accelerates. I take a turn left out of the parking lot and onto the freeway. I drive down the street, take a few turns and come upon the old, cheap, beat up apartment building that I call home. I put down the kickstand and place my helmet on the handlebars. I take my keycard out of my pocket and walk up the stairs. I continue walking until I reach the end where my room is. _'Akamatsu'_ reads the letters on the door indicating who lives here. I scan my keycard on the electronic door lock. I pull the handle and the door swings open.

It's pathetic, really. Trash lying around in various places, messy futon, and a sink filled with dirty dishes. I need to get this place cleaned up soon. It'll be a big problem if I don't. But not now, I have a new game to test out. I walk over to my desk, careful not to step on anything that will possibly stain or damage my indoor slippers. I notice the picture frame on my desk. My mom and dad sit down on a bench, with me as a child sitting in their laps. Another reminder. One to remind me of the happiness I've lost. They're gone. Robbed and killed when I was young. I was with them. That's how I got these scars. Some cold, heartless bastard did this to me. Now that I think about it, this picture was taken not long before it happened.

I take the game case out of my bag. I remove the plastic covering the case and open it. A small circular object with a USB input attached to it. I take it out of the case. I pick up my Nerve Gear out of the bag and plug in the necessary plugs. I then insert the game into the slot placed on the side of the Nerve Gear. I place the Nerve Gear on my head and lie down on the futon.

"Link start!"


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

'Welcome to Sword Art Online!' is the first thing I see when I login. Then there's the character customization screen for new players. I see various options, but it's still limited. There's Gender, Hair Style, Hair Color, Eye Color, Odd-Eye, Face, Voice, and Accessory I choose male… of course, a kind of spiky hair like mine, black hair, my normal black eyes, a standard face. Something that I _might_ have looked like If I hadn't had all of these scars and stuff. I choose a voice similar to mine and add an eyepatch on my right eye because I still can't see through that eye, no matter what the NerveGear tries. I press the large 'Next' button and I'm taken to a space to fill in my username. Well, I'll do a simple one. I'll put in my name abbreviated. 'Akamichi.' I press enter.

 _October 31_ _st_ _, 2022_

 _Town of Beginnings, Floor 1, Aincrad_

I'm taken to an unfamiliar place. I take a look at my surroundings. There are various buildings with NPC's here and there, but I also see some users standing around, chatting. I check my items to see if there's anything there, but there's nothing. I check all of the various other options in the menu and I see something called a 'Specialization Menu' I look at the various 'Specs.' There is One Handed, Two Handed, and Daggers. I tap on Two Handed, because I like big weapons, and it gives me a notification reading: 'You can now use Two Handed weapons! We've given you a starting weapon in your Inventory.' The Spec window changes from the three options to like a thousand. 'Sword Skills' it reads at the top of the window. I only have three unlocked. I go to check my inventory, and sure enough, there's a Starter Sword waiting there for me to tap it. I tap it and suddenly, there's a large sword sheathed on my back. I unsheathe it and it's a lot lighter than expected. I have to boost my strength points if I want to get better weapons.

After hours of grinding and leveling up, I managed to get a rare monster drop. I don't know how I got it, but I don't have enough strength to use it, so I'll keep it in my Inventory for now. Well, I might as well log off, I'm getting hungry and I have to clean my room. I bring out the drop down menu and press the… Log Out button? I look around the menu and it's not there, not anywhere. Well, it is this game's first day out of beta so I guess I can forgive them for a simple bug like this. I look around for an emergency Log Out, but there's still nothing. I guess I'll have to wait for them to fix the bug. I turn around to go kill some more boars, but am interrupted by a teleportation circle being formed around me. I get teleported to the Town Center, where everyone else is also being teleported at the same time.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

 _December 2_ _nd_ _, 2022_

 _Fields near Tolbana, Floor 1, Aincrad_

One month. That's how long we've been trapped here. A lot of people have already died… And I couldn't do anything to stop that. I wasn't even there. Apparently the logout button being missing wasn't a glitch at all. It's a "feature" of the game. We're stuck here until we beat all one-hundred floors. We were given an item at the town square. It turned us back into our real selves. Every precise detail. My face is now as it was. Scars and all. Everyone tends to stay away from me because of that.

We're holding a meeting on how to beat the first boss. I decided not to come, because I don't do boring strategy meetings. I'm out on the fields, grinding. I kill a few Dire Wolves, some Boars, and some other random mobs. I sheathe my axe on my back and take a look at some of the new items I got.

A scream. I look over in the direction that it came from. Two girls stand there, speechless. They're staring at the death animation of something… Someone! I dash over to the site, anxious to know what happened. I investigate the scene. A Dire Wolf growling at the two girls and an Iron Rapier lying without an owner on the grass. I unsheathe my axe, and charge my Sword Skill. I swing, and the Dire Wolf shatters in the death animation. I turn over to the two girls.

"Are you two okay?" I ask frantically. They both look at me. They're both terrified. I'm pretty sure they saw one of their friends just die. I know exactly what it's like to see someone you love just die in front of you, and you couldn't do anything about it. I look at their health bars. The one with brown hair has three quarters health left. The black haired girl is full.

"H-Hatsue…" The one with black hair whispers. She collapses on the ground and tears start flowing from her eyes. The brown haired one soon follows. I understand what they're feeling. You feel as if it isn't true, like it didn't happen, but when you realize that it is real, you just break down. I walk over and try to comfort them, but their crying isn't letting up. I walk over to the Iron Rapier lying on the grass. I pick it up, and raise it in the air. This is the blade of their friend. They should be the ones to decide what to do with it. I'll let them calm down before I ask them.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

 _December 2_ _nd_ _, 2022_

 _Tolbana, Floor 1, Aincrad_

I open the door to the inn, and various eyes glare in my direction, suspicious of my presence. The two girls, named Kawami, and Yamami, go sit down at one of the random tables. I go up to the counter and order three drinks. The bartender hands them over hesitantly. I grab them and bring them over to the table where the two girls wait. I place two drinks in front of each of them and then sit down myself, drink in hand.

"Ok, this might be hard to answer so, I understand if you can't answer it now. Do you mind explaining what happened?" The one in black hair, Kawami, sighs, then speaks.

"Hatchiko was her name. She was out friend that came with us to this place. I now regret ever bringing her into this…" She starts to tear up. "She was… such a good friend. Why does she have to die?" I try to comfort her in any way I can. The tears subside as she prepares to speak. "Ahem. We were out farming when it happened. Hatchiko spotted an injured Dire Wolf. Little did she know that it was a Rare. She tried to attack it, but she was killed instead." I nod. The brown haired one, Yamami, doesn't speak. Now that I look closely, they look very alike. Maybe they're sisters? Well, that's besides the topic. I'll ask later at a better time. I pull out my menu and send them a friend request.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." I say. It's kinda cheesy, I gotta admit, but that's what I gotta do.

"Why are you so concerned about us?" Yamami speaks up. I clench my fist.

"Because I hate seeing someone go through the same things as me." I get up out of the chair and leave hastily.


End file.
